What do you think about these psychics? Do you really think they can contact with the dead or is it somekind of mind trick or other strategy they use?

Are we talking about pyschics in general or just people that are in contact with the dead?

The word psychic has become to general a term for a variety of parapsychological phenomenon.

just the ones who claim to contact with the dead.

Well, IMO Van Pragh is a fake who uses cold reading techniques and is just vague enough to make the families think he is in contact with the dead.

As a Christian, I believe what God says in the Bible about not to be seeking out and consulting with "seers" or psychics. (I know this is highly controversial, and I don't intend to bring religion into this.... just stating my opinion.)

There is a passage, in the old testament I think, about someone going to a psychic to obtain a connection to a departed relative. The psychic brought the spirit of the dead man out for the family to talk to, and they guy told them off! lol He said something like, "Why are you idiots waking me up and disturbing me in my rest!? Leave me alone!"

Now, I do believe some people have genuine psychic abilities and experiences. I've had a few myself, to a lesser degree than my great aunt, and her mom, who was my great grandmother. But I think most of the "professionals" are frauds, and those that have real ability don't have a good, constant link with the other side, or enough ability to be helpful, most of the time.

I am a Christian too, like Tracy. While I believe that there is a phenomenon of ghosts, spirits and demons......

I do not believe that anyone has sufficiently harnessed meaningful communication with the departed.

I imagine that in order to talk to dead would be as difficult and electronically complex as talking to someone in space.

One thing that I thought was very convincing was Harry Houdini. That guy could get himself out of all kinds of messes.

He and his wife had a secret word that they said they would use when one of them passed on. After Houdini died, his wife tried having seance after seance to contact him, but the "psychic" was never able to produce the secret word that Harry Houdini and his wife had planned to use to contact one another from beyond the grave.

IIRC, the wife finally gave up trying to contact him. I think she decided that there was no life after death. But I'm not positive about that.

As far as Christianity goes, there are some Christians who believe that as soon as someone dies, their soul immediately goes to heaven or hell. There are others who belive in places like purgatory and limbo. I think catholics believe that. And then there are others who believe that once we're dead, we stay dead (are asleep in Jesus, is what they often call it), and our spirit is at rest until God decides that it's earth's last day. On the last day, Jesus will come back to gather his people. The dead Christians will be raised up first, so the living and the dead will witness the event. There are many other variations on the belief.

I'm mostly in the last group. I belive that the dead are at rest. That they have lived life. Hopefully, a long and productive life, and are having a well deserved rest, like a retirement, before the next life begins. But, even though I think that's the way it is generally, I think there are circumstances where God allows someone who's died to say a final goodbye, or visit the living temporarily, but I think that's very, very rare.

I don't believe the souls of the dead walk the earth in confusion or needing to complete some unfinished business. I don't believe that people who die violently "haunt" the place where they died.

I do believe in a spirit world, and I don't trust anything that approaches me while it's obviously masquerading as something it's not, which I've witnessed several times. Any spirit that approaches you should never cause you to be fearful, suspicious, nervous, or afraid. If it's from God, you will be put at ease, but if it's not from God then something will always make you feel at least a bit uneasy when you're in it's presence, and you'll know to block that presence from entering into your life.

I think that psychics are merely good psychologists. They will say something vague to "bait" you, and then take the next clue and run with it.

I think they're full of crap, and like unsolvedman, I don't believe the ones that claim to contact the dead. Now, the ones who get premonitions and help police with visions, etc. may have some special ability that others haven't developed...they also admit their info is fragmented and incomplete at best...and I don't respect anyone who tries to profit from their supposed "abilities".

I agree with TracylynnS for the most part. I just watched the episode with Van Pragh and I think he’s a charlatan out to get people’s money.

I agree with TracylynnS for the most part. I just watched the episode with Van Pragh and I think he’s a charlatan out to get people’s money.

While I do believe that there are intuitives because I have had people tell me things about me they genuinely could not know (and I told them nothing that would give it away), I've also been conned by so-called psychics, and I would just say that there are a lot of fraudsters out there.